Two faculty members from the Tickle College of Engineering have been selected to receive Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program awards for the 2025-26 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Christopher Cherry, a professor and associate department head of undergraduate studies in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Hector Pulgar, an associate professor in the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, will be traveling abroad to perform research in their areas of expertise and broaden their cultural worldview.
Fulbright U.S. Scholars are faculty, researchers, administrators and established professionals teaching or conducting research in affiliation with institutes abroad. Fulbright Scholars engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often forging future partnerships between institutions.
Cherry’s Future Plans
Cherry will travel to Rwanda for five months as part of Fulbright’s Africa Regional Research Program. Cherry will work with the University of Rwanda’s Centre for Advanced Studies in Transport, Logistics, and Smart Cities to investigate the electrification of small vehicles, including e-bikes, e-trikes, and e-motorcycles, in urban and rural Rwanda. Electrification of the transportation system is viewed as a vital strategy to maintain mobility while reducing environmental harm and increasing energy efficiency from vehicle operations.
“I want to bridge research activities between UT and African universities. I also see the African continent as a frontier of research and application that can make a difference in global energy and sustainability in the transportation sector,” Cherry said. “Fulbright supports the research mission of faculty, but also supports cultural exchange, encouraging my family and me to embed ourselves in Rwandan professional and social society.”
Pulgar’s Research Plans
Pulgar will spend six months at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in Spain. His project will focus on making electric power systems more reliable and environmentally friendly by improving the integration of renewable energy sources into the electricity grid. Because renewable energy sources do not produce power in a steady, predictable way like traditional power plants, the grid can become less stable and more prone to blackouts.
“I am highly motivated to establish long-lasting, impactful collaborations with the research group at the University of Carlos III of Madrid and enhance academic and cultural exchange by strengthening the relationship between the United States and Spain,” Pulgar said. “This Fulbright Award will enable me to engage with international colleagues and institutions to further my research in grid dynamics and control strategies for renewable integration.”
Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbright scholars exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges.
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey (rpotkey@utk.edu)